In the Grasp of the Devil
by xx44BellaLuna44xx
Summary: She was the only girl he had ever loved and would ever would love, if only she would notice him. He loved her almost as much as he hated her, as much as she hated him. If only she loved him, if only she hadn't found out his darkest secret.
1. Prologue: I Hate You

A/N: Hello! New story, yay! I don't know how many times I have unloaded and reloaded this document but I keep finding mistakes! Anyways, this is the last time I will re-upload this document (hopefully...I feel like I'm really nit-picky 'cause I wrote this last night). I intended for this story to be short but when I was planning it it just got way outta control, so it will probably be long-ish. Alright, enjoy!

Oops, before I forget. Be sure to check out my harrypotterfanfiction page. It's under the same Xx44BellaLuna44xX, as well as my page.

Summary: Tom Riddle had a plan. A rather ingenious plan, one that would later shake the foundations of the wizarding world. Julia Sterling only wanted to run away from her pure-blooded family with the man of her dreams. But, when Tom Riddle forces her into an ultimatum, she will have to decide whether to save the world or fall prey to the clutches of a murderer.

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_June 1945_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Julia Sterling pushed herself deeper into the forest, streaks of tears running down her fair cheeks, her long, dark hair tangled and damp. There were no words that could be summoned to describe her fear, and the fact that Tom Riddle was somewhere in the mass of shadowy trees behind her.

She wanted to scream, to cry, to stop, close her eyes and pretend it was all a dream but she knew with a sharp sting that this was reality. He really had killed them—all of them. Every single little thing had been a lie, a farce, a manipulation by use of charm and seduction.

"Julia," his voice came from somewhere behind her. "Just come out,"

Terrorized, she forced herself to hide behind a tree, pausing to catch her breath. She could hear his heavy footsteps against the ground. He was close. Julia threw her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out but it did nothing to stop the rise in her heartbeat and the fresh new slap of grief and helplessness she felt.

"Let's talk this over," he called out. "Please, Julia,"

Julia remained silent and she peaked out from behind her tree. He was standing not four yards away from her, holding his illuminated wand out in front of him, casting a golden hue across his handsome features. It was the face of a murderer—no, worse, a devil. Tom Riddle was a devil. When Julia did not respond, she saw a look of fury pass over his face and he balled his fists up.

"I know where you are, Julia, there will be no Dumbledore to save you now," he taunted. "I'll give you one last chance: either you can come out now and join me or I'll blast this forest apart and find you. Trust me, you don't want me to do that, you know what I can do to your family, remember what happened to…_Zander_,"

Julia wanted to kill him. To beat his beautiful face with her own bare hands, to strangle him and scream at him, and run so far away from him so he would never be able to find her. But, in the end, she knew he always did. Julia knew she could not beat him.

"I'll give you to the count of three," he warned. Zander's face swam across her mind, the way his arms had felt around her waist. His smell, his touch. All of it was gone.

"Three—"

Julia fought frantically, thinking of some way, some miracle to occur. She needed to tell someone what Tom Riddle was truly capable of doing and what he would do if he wasn't stopped. Zander's old gray eyes which had seen so many terrible, horrible things, she saw his body falling, his expression frozen with a look of sheer terror. It was that look on his face, he wasn't the Zander Julia had known. That was the look of a frightened little boy.

"Two—"

Julia let a whimper escape her lips and she could almost hear Tom's neck snap in her direction. He knew. The green flash of light that had struck Zander square in the chest. Her Zander, the Zander who had fought for his country, the soldier, the hero. _They have to know, Julia, you have to tell them everything, _he had told her. How much she had wanted to press her lips to his one last time. _They have to know_.

In the end, Zander had been wrong. There was no hope and she wouldn't be rescued. Her wand had been blown to smithereens. Just when she thought everything was going to be alright, it was like an unstoppable force banged its way through. There was no changing Tom; he would always be the same. Always calculating, always cruel, always inhumane and evil. Just the fact that he would continue to be that way with such power and influence behind him made Julia's blood rush to her head. She was light, floating. The fate of this world was in his hands. No one would be able to stop him. No one.

Quietly, Julia stepped out from behind the tree. She didn't want to look at his face, smirking with triumph. She didn't want to look into the eyes of the man who had snatched all she held dear in her heart away. She didn't want to admit defeat and yet at the same time, she had to. There was literally no other option left.

"Look at me," he commanded in a somewhat boyish arrogance. "I said _look at me_!"

Slowly, Julia raised her head, her hands shaking, itching. She met his eyes. He stood before her dressed in his Head Boy robes, his graduation cap still on his head. Above, the moon peered over the billowing clouds and pooled beneath their feet. It was true. No matter how many times Julia had tried to deny it, he still unsettled her, he clicked with her. He raised his wand and Julia fell to her knees. This was it all he would just have to say one small little incantation and she could join Zander. Death would be her escape. Tom chuckled darkly.

"It's not going to be that easy, Julia," His glittering sapphire eyes bore into hers and Julia blushed angrily. He came towards her menacingly but she stood her ground. "It's not going to be easy…" he repeated, his voice growing quieter.

Julia couldn't help it. As much as she didn't want to, another bout of tears stung her eyes. Her throat constricted painfully, her muscles tensing and her legs tingling. With all her will and strength, she threw herself at his feet sobbing, secretly hating herself. This was going to be for Zander, for Zander and no one else.

"I beg you, Tom, I beg you…"She managed to choke out. "I'll do anything, anything at all, you just name it just don't—don't hurt my family anymore,"

Tom squatted down besides her. Using his wand tip, he titled her chin up towards his face. Her eyes widened in shock. There was something in his eyes that Julia had never seen before: tears. They split over his eyelids and ran down the side of his face. She stared.

"You know, I really do hate you," He finally said softly. "I really do hate you," His brow wrinkled and he looked away, glaring, a faint tinge hue of pink blossoming under his ivory skin.

"I know," Julia couldn't contain herself. She was shaking so hard. Their faces appeared vividly in her mind.

There was a quick flash of green and then a horrible scream.


	2. The Sterlings

**A/N:**Oops, I'm SOOOOOOOO sorry I haven't uploaded in forever! I actually have been working on this for the past like 6 months or so and just decided to post this because I am currently writing a new story for Thor. Nonetheless, I'll let you get to reading. Thanks for all the reviews!_  
_

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_****Two Years Earlier****_

_July 15__th__ 1943_

Tom Riddle's dark eyes surveyed the soiree before him. The crimson-clothed tables, the lavender-scented napkins, the intricate designs painted on the porcelain plates, even the silken dresses of all the young ladies intoxicated Tom almost as much as it sickened him. They were all frivolous with their grand mansions and hordes of maids and servants, their stupid little gatherings, their obsession with money and sex and silly little luxuries. Sitting casually on the sofa in the gathering room in between Abraxas Malfoy and Lawrence Avery, Tom crossed his legs and adjusted his tie. _Purebloods_, he thought disdainfully. Groups of young ladies and men dotted the expensively furnished room and twitters of laughter and banter filled the high ceilings.

Across the room, the appearance of a young lady caught Tom's eye. She smiled coyly, the corners of her glossy lips curling upwards. She batted her eyelashes at him and resumed chatting with the small group of men gathered around her. He could already tell what she wanted but it would take more than just a few sultry glances to tempt him.

"See that girl?" Malfoy nodded off in the direction of the very same young lady. "She keeps looking at me," his voice faded away as he stared transfixed at her. Avery let out an amused shriek.

"She only just arrived here, how can you, in such a short amount of time, simply deduce that just because she's looking at you it means she likes you. I'd bet you my wand she's after Riddle, not you, Malfoy," Avery cackled, the nudging Tom gently in the ribs, he added "So you gonna go after her?"

"No" Riddle said, clearly annoyed.

"Are you kidding me?" said Avery. Tom glared at him and Avery's grin slid off his face. It annoyed Tom whenever Avery opened his mouth to speak, let alone nudged him, or touched him. Besides, the boy's head was filled with saw dust. The only reason Tom tolerated his presence was because his father worked at the Ministry of Magic.

"Who is she," Tom asked Malfoy. Malfoy tore his eyes away from the girl and turned towards Tom. Tom could see in his stormy eyes that he was enamored with her. _Weak_, Tom thought,_ they're all weak_. But, Tom did not come to this party for nothing; he came for a very specific purpose in mind. These evening parties served Tom Riddle undeniable power to gain connections and charm all pureblooded witches and wizards.

"She's a Sterling—I think. Her family moved from France, but their all from America. My father told me they were pretty powerful in France…until the war started_,_" Malfoy's face over the course of the conversation changed from one of intense pity to a look of fury, the whole time his eyes straying away from Tom's to the girl they were talking of.

Tom didn't mind so much this time, but as soon as Malfoy mentioned that the Sterling family had been pretty powerful in America, he found himself, along with Malfoy, looking at the girl. She noticed them staring at her and with false indifference pretended to be uninterested. Tom hated her already. Everything about her screamed bad taste, he was disgusted by her, but at the same time attracted by her impressive title. He would have to do more research about her family, find out everything he could about them—and Tom knew just the way to do so. Without a word, Tom rose from the sofa and brushed a loose strand of hair out of his face. All he would have to do was go get a drink and she would follow him, he was sure.

He meandered over to the bar, slowly, so that she would notice his absence from his place at the sofa and look for him. He had done this so many times, Tom was sick of it. It was almost too easy; half of Tom hoped she wouldn't follow him, that she wouldn't flaunt herself all over him but as soon as he reached the bar than she had somehow managed to separate herself from her admirers and was now slowly making her way towards Tom. When she seemed to pass by him, she dropped her glove. Wanting to bash her pretty little head into the glass table, Tom bent down to pick it up.

"I believe this is yours, miss" Tom made his voice pleasant, like honey. She stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him, surprise in her eyes.

"Thank you…"

"Riddle, Tom Riddle" he replied. Up close, Tom had to admit she was quite pretty but the strong wafting aroma of her perfume suffocated him. She was tall and extremely curvaceous in all the right spots, her breasts swelled in her dress, her skin smooth as polished stone with ringlets of her flaxen hair spilling out of her pinned bun.

"Mr. Riddle," she said testing his name on her lips.

"And may I ask your name?"

"Henrietta Sterling," She said shyly, even through Tom knew full well that she normally didn't act as such. "I-I…my family moved here from France just this week" She admitted, twirling a curl around her forefinger.

"So I've heard," he added charmingly. He moved closer towards her, and he could tell she was growing uncomfortable. She pulled away. "What brings your family to London?"

"The war of course, my father hates war and as you may not know, France was invaded but who wants to talk of such boring topics and pointless Muggle wars?"

"Indeed," Tom poured her a drink and offered it to her. She took it gladly, holding the glass up to her lips and the sipping it carefully. Tom chuckled darkly.

"What?" She demanded. "Never seen a woman drink before?" At that she threw her head back and gulped the firewhiskey down in one.

"Not really," Tom poured himself a drink and then refilled hers. She glanced up at him, a spark of challenge in her muddy hazel eyes. Tom lifted the drink to his mouth, pausing as he watched her throw her head back and once more gulp the whiskey down. _Foolish girl_, he thought and then smiling, he too, drank deeply.

"So, do you want a private tour of the Sterling Mansion?" Henrietta flashed him a quick grin.

"Why not?" In his mind, Tom could already see where this was heading. Disgusted, as he already was, Tom let her lead him further into the mansion. He only hoped it would be over quickly.

The moon settled in between two billowing sets of sullen clouds in the night sky. The Sterling Mansion up the hill glittered like a jewel in the surrounding darkness and yet as all was silent in the land, the mansion appeared filled with laughter and sounds.

Julia Sterling watched it from the distance as she glanced back up at the mansion behind her from the woods. Her plan had worked perfectly tonight and for once she had slipped past her father's watchmen despite their increased awareness for the party tonight. Not that anyone would really notice tonight, not with her sister there, flamboyant and flirtatious. Her mother and father were determined to find Henrietta a suitable, pureblooded husband almost as much as they were convinced she was a virgin. Julia snickered quietly and pressed on down the winding path towards the lake shore. It was so much more thrilling and fresh to be outside in the crisp night air. She breathed in the pine and freshly cut grass, holding her illuminated wand out in front of her. The crickets leapt away from her as she descended the gradually sloping path. In front of her, the lake lay, still and mysteriously beautiful as the moon reflected upon its glassy exterior. Her heartbeat suddenly quickened as she made out a lean form, silhouetted against the luminescence.

"What are you doing here?" Julia gasped running towards the figure. It turned around to reveal a young man, his hair silver in the moonlight. As soon as the man saw her, he grinned, his whole face lighting up and his thoughtful brown eyes sparkling with mischief. He opened his arms to receive her as she bounded into his chest, knocking them both over.

"I missed you, is that a decent enough answer for you?" He kissed her forehead and then rolled over, pulling her roughly underneath him. His hair tickled her cheek and she smiled shyly up at him. Quickly, she glanced up at the long scar running from the side of his left temple to the corner of his lips. It was still red and angry, swollen even. Lightly, she ran her finger down the length of it.

"Have you been putting ointment on it?" She asked. The sparkle left from his eyes and the depth disappeared replaced with his steely expression. She frowned, stroking his face. She hated that troubled face, why had she been stupid enough to mention his scar. She knew it only brought back that horrid memory. He rolled off her and lay beside her, his head touching hers. They both stared up at the starry night.

"I have, twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night but it's still not subsiding. I've asked just about everyone I can trust but it's difficult. There are so many people out there hunting us, we don't know who to trust," he sighed, his chest rising and falling. "And the full moon is coming, just a couple more weeks now,"

"Danny," Julia buried her face in his chest and breathed in deeply. "I wish I could be of more help, I wish I could cure you," she smashed herself closer to his body. He was warm and yet she could feel his isolation, his aloneness. This was all her fault, because of her stupidity and curiosity she had placed him in the way of harm.

It was her fault that Daniel Lawson was a werewolf.

"Don't be stupid, Julia. You have helped me; you helped me find people like me, people I could trust. Good people and you stayed with me. I owe you my life," He turned his head towards her and brushed her hair away from her face. Julia recoiled, shocked.

"How can you say that? It was my fault—"

"Shhh, let's not talk about this anymore. I came here to be with you not to bicker with you," He said soothingly. Julia tensed. "Please," He nipped at her lips. "Besides, what are you doing out here? And in the cold with just an evening dress on?" He shrugged his jacket off and draped it around her frail shoulders.

"My parents are throwing a party, inviting all the purebloods within the surrounding area. They say it's to meet the neighbors and my future classmates but I have a feeling my mother is trying to get Henri to marry someone decent," Julia sighed and pushed her arms through the sleeves of his jacket.

"And then it's your turn. They'll want you to marry a pureblood," said Daniel. Julia looked sideways at him and laughed softly at his attempt to conceal his pout.

"I'll run away with you and we can live in the forest," Julia laughed but Daniel wasn't amused. He watched her seriously.

"Julia,"

"I thought you said you came here to be with me not bicker with me," Daniel smiled again and once more his face lit up again and his eyes sparkled. He leaned in towards her, gripping her wrist tightly, and pressed his lips to hers.

Tom Riddle broke away from Henrietta's mouth, gasping for air. She giggled and tugged at his tie, beckoning at him with those smoky eyes of hers. She leaned in towards him again but he pulled back, setting his hand down on the desk behind him. His hand collided with a picture frame and it fell to the floor, the glass shattering all over the carpet.

"Don't mind that, it's just my sister's," Henrietta said distractedly, snaking her hand down his stomach towards his belt buckle. He grasped her hand to keep her from reaching her destination and instead kissed her neck, sucking and nipping as she groaned against his shoulder.

"Your sister?" He said in between kisses. "I didn't know you had a sister,"

"Mmhmm," she sighed, once more tugging at his shirt. Tom let her. A sister? Most intriguing, perhaps, her sister was more intellectually stimulating. Perhaps, her sister would be of more use to him than Henrietta. Or equally useless like her sister. Tom smirked as Henrietta fell to her knees before him, struggling with his zipper. He didn't help her.

"What's her name?" His eyes found the image of the broken picture. It was a loop photo, the image moving in one single gesture before resetting again. He watched it.

"Julia," Henrietta breathed heavily. Tom watched as Julia, he guessed she must have been fifteen at the time, smiled up towards him, her eyes, a mysterious topaz, reflected an kind of sadness. A soft wind blew several strands of her long, brown hair across her face and gingerly she tucked them behind her ear. The image replayed again. He watched the corners of her mouth spread across her face, slowly. And then her eyes…a loud knock came at the door and Henrietta jumped to her feet.

"Hurry, go out to the balcony!" She pushed Tom outside into the cold and with an apologetic glance she closed the doors on him. He sighed, annoyed and bored but listened at the door.

"Henrietta, I didn't know you were in here," her father's voice came from the door. "What are you doing in here—never mind—have you seen your sister, Julia?"

"I expect she's hiding somewhere," Henrietta laughed cruelly. "Why?"

"The dinner is about to start and I want all of us to be present, starting with you. Come on, get down there," Her father guided her out of the room and shut the door behind them. Tom was just about to go back into the room when he heard faint laughter come away from the house. It was distant, echoing through the valley. Tom whirled around his head snapping in that direction. A small emission of light pulsed from behind a few trees, the moonlight reflecting from the lake. He narrowed his eyes to get a closer look. From the distance, he could see a young man and women lying with their stomachs to the sky. The girl sat up, laughing, her long brown hair swaying in the air gently. Tom watched carefully as she slowly tucked a loose strand behind her ear. He grinned darkly. He had a pretty good idea of where the missing Sterling daughter had gone, and why she was missing. Perhaps he ought to have a stroll by the lake.

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